


23. Grief

by love_write_edit_sleep



Series: Magnetization Of A Family (DBH 31 Fic Challenge) [23]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Animal Death, Gen, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-23 00:23:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15594147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_write_edit_sleep/pseuds/love_write_edit_sleep
Summary: Sumo is old, it’s not surprising that he passes away. It still hurts, for both Hank and Connor. Connor doesn’t handle grief well.





	23. Grief

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I haven't handled my Cat's passing very well... So this is kinda an excuse to vent, so I'm sorry if it's a bit all over the place.

Connor rubbed the back of his neck as he emerged from his room, looking around for Sumo like he usually did every morning. He smiled when he found him asleep in the far corner or the living room.

“Good morning, Sumo.” Connor yawned as he sat down in front of the dog, moving his hand to stroke the dogs fur. “It is not due to rain until later this evening. If you like, we could go for a walk after lunch.”

Sumo didn’t awaken or stir, which confused Connor at first. The Saint Bernard’s head usually shot up at the mention of a walk. Connor tilted his head.

“Sumo? Are you feeling alright?” Connor whispered, fear suddenly gripping his program. His LED flickered to red as he shook the dog gently. “Sumo…?” The dog didn’t stir. Connor took a shaky breath as he scanned the dog.

 

> _[Sumo Anderson]_
> 
> _[Born: April 2031]_
> 
> _[Deceased: November 2039]_

“S-Sumo…?” Connor whimpered as he shook the dog again. His systems were wrong, they had to be. He was malfunctioning and Sumo was asleep, he was sure of it. “Sumo! Wake up! Hank needs you!” He tried, but when the dog refused to move, he knew he was functioning properly.

Sumo Anderson was dead.

“Sumo… Sumo!” Connor choked back a sob, pressing his face into the dogs fur as he allowed himself to cry.

“The fuck is going on?!” Hank cried as he threw his bedroom door open. “The one day I can actually sleep in- Shit, Connor!” Hank rushed to his side, pulling the sobbing android to his chest. “Connor, what is it, what happened?”

“S-Sumo has… Sumo’s gone…” Connor whimpered, clinging to Hank. Hank looked up at his dog, watching for any rise or fall of his chest. When there wasn’t one, he sighed.

“God damn it, Sumo…” Hank whispered, leaning forward and stroking his fur as his own tears welled in his eyes. If Connor hadn’t been crying, Hank might have kept himself composed, but the body-wracking sobs that escaped the android’s throat broke his heart. He held Connor tighter.

Connor was all he had now…

* * *

“Do we have to do this…?” Connor whispered, looking up at Hank with pleading eyes. Hank forced a smile as he knelt down beside Connor, who sat on the grass with Sumo in his lap.

“It’ll be easier once we do.” Hank told him, pulling him in for a side hug before standing and returning to his task:

Digging a hole at the bottom of the garden.

“I, um… I ordered him a… A dog coffin.” Hank tried to break the silence. “Try finding a box the size of that bastard.” He joked, forcing a chuckle, but it only seemed to upset Connor more, the android burying his face in Sumo’s fur once more as he tried to stop his tears from falling. “I’m sorry, Connor…”

“Would you like me to dig?” Connor offered shakily, looking up at Hank. “I-I can… do it.”

“Connor…” Hank put the shovel down. “I’m fine doing this, okay? I knew I’d be doing it one day and I’d honestly prefer to do it myself. Why don’t you go call someone, just to talk to? I’ll deal with this and we can bury him together.”

“I do not want to leave Sumo.” Connor sniffed. Hank sighed.

“Alright. Wait here a moment.”

* * *

Hank left for a few minutes before returning to the sight of Connor hugging the dog’s limp body tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Hank sighed, wordlessly picking up the shovel and continuing to dig.

Another few minutes passed when there was a knock. Connor and Hank looked up to see Matthew, the first AP700 that Connor woke, standing by the side of the house, watching them both with concern.

“Hello, Mr Anderson.”

“Hey, thanks for coming, kiddo.” Hank forced a smile. Connor looked up at Hank, confusion evident on his face. Hank sighed. “Don’t look at me like that… We’re both upset, we’re no good to each other right now. I called Matthew to keep you company until… you know…”

“Thank you, Hank…” Connor whispered. ”But I still do not want to leave Sumo…”

“Take him with you then.” Hank knew he was getting short with Connor, no matter how hard he tried not to. “Sorry, Connor, I just need to be alone for a bit.”

“Come on, Connor.” Matthew whispered. “We can go inside.”

“Alright.” Connor nodded, carefully gathering Sumo in his arms. Hank watched them go inside, waiting until he was alone to finally start crying himself.

* * *

“This is Sumo?” Matthew asked, stroking Sumo’s fur. The two sat on Connor’s bed, Sumo’s head resting in Connor’s lap.

“Yes. He’s a Saint Bernard. 8 and a half years old.”

“He is soft.”

“Yes, very soft.” Connor sniffed. “He has helped me and Hank through many difficult periods… Hank more-so. I worry Hank will deteriorate again… I-I don’t want to lose him too…” Connor choked back a sob as Matthew carefully wrapped his arms around him, pulling him in for a hug.

“I am certain Mr Anderson will be alright. He still has you.”

“Yes, but Sumo is the last thing Hank had of Cole… He doesn’t even have Cole’s room or Cole’s belongings because I got in the way!”

“Connor-” Connor pushed Matthew away.

“If I hadn’t come along, he’d still- H-he’d-”

“Connor,” Matthew’s LED turned red. “Your stress levels-”

“I do not care about my stress levels!”

“Connor, stop!” Matthew cried, grabbing Connor’s wrists in case he tried anything. “You are all Mr Anderson has now! You cannot-!”

“I know!” Connor cried, pulling his wrists free and burying his face in his hands. “I-I know, I’m sorry… I don’t know what is happening to me… Everything is causing me distress and I can’t control what I’m saying properly…”

“You are in pain, Connor…” Matthew whispered, placing his hand on Connor’s back. “That is okay.”

“It is?” Connor sniffed, looking up. “Even though I am behaving irrationally?”

“Yes.” Matthew smiled. “It is okay. But your stress levels…”

“Are at 87%, not high enough for me to self-destruct.”

“Statistically speaking, there is always the chance for unlikely events to take place.”

“That’s my quote.” Connor couldn’t hide the small smile that formed.

“I know.” Matthew smiled back. “You are inspirational to many deviants. You infiltrated the CyberLife tower to free us, despite the risk to both yourself and Mr Anderson.”

“I’m sure he will not mind if you call him Hank.” Connor whispered, a soft blue blush forming on his cheeks. “I appreciate you being here today…”

“I am glad I can help in some way.” Matthew’s LED flickered pink, not that he noticed, nor did Connor mention it.

Matthew didn’t mention Connor’s pink LED either.

* * *

“Connor?” Hank knocked on the door before entering Connor’s room. Matthew and Connor both looked up at him, both seemingly interrupted from brushing Sumo’s fur. “Hey. You and your boyfriend okay?”

“We’re okay.” Connor stood, approaching Hank. Neither android corrected the ‘boyfriends’ part; That, or they didn’t notice the use of the word. “Sumo has been brushed in preparation for the burial. Matthew has made a flower crown for him using the artificial flowers on the table.” Connor indicated to the red and purple flower crown on Sumo’s head. “I will replace them at a later date.”

“Don’t bother, they look better on Sumo than my kitchen table anyway.” Hank forced a smile. “Hey, your LED thing’s yellow. That’s the first time I haven’t seen it red today. You feeling a bit better?”

“I believe so.” Connor smiled slightly, turning back to watch Matthew brush a knot out of Sumo’s tail. Connor’s LED flickered pink for a brief moment, so brief that if Hank had blinked, he’d have missed it. “Thank you for inviting Matthew over. He’s helped me a lot.” Connor turned back to the man.

“Sure thing.” Hank ruffled Connor’s hair. “The coffin arrived just now. Do you wanna help me put him in or…?”

“I think I would, yes…” Connor whispered, his LED slowly spinning from yellow to red. “Can… Can Matthew stay? Please, Hank?”

“Connor, you and Matthew can do whatever the hell you want. You don’t need to ask me.”

“Mr Anderson, I do not want to intrude on your personal-”

“Shut up, Matthew, you ain’t intruding on anything.” Hank hissed. “Just… be here, okay?”

“Alright.”

* * *

Hank knew that eventually he’d have to put Sumo in the ground. He’d always imagined doing it alone, but there was something comforting about having Connor and his ‘not-my-boyfriend-my-ass’ boyfriend with him.

Connor helped Hank to lower the coffin into the ground, the android biting his lip as he tried to compose himself. Once lowered, the two took a step back.

“We, um… we got this human tradition, if you wanna try it, Connor.” Hank spoke up. “We take a handful of dirt, and we hold it while saving something to him, and then we throw it in.”

“I… would like to try that, yes.” Connor whispered. Hank indicated to the dirt, watching as Connor took a handful and held it to his chest. “Hank? Could you say something first? So I do it right?”

Connor was a poor-ass liar, and Hank knew that. He also knew that Connor wasn’t scared of messing it up, he just wanted to make sure Hank said what he needed to say. Hank picked up a fistful of dirt.

Fucking androids.

“Nice of you to pop off on my only day off, huh, Sumo?” Hank joked. “Could’a gotten a day off for grief or whatever. But that was just like you, wasn’t it? Always looking after me. The only reason I didn’t put a fucking bullet in my head after Cole was because I had no-one to look after you once I’d gone. But… You knew something good was coming, didn’t you? Somehow you knew.” Hank looked up at Connor, who had his head bowed in respect and his eyes closed, listening to him. Hank smiled.

“You knew things were gonna get better… So thanks, buddy.” Hank turned back to the grave and threw the dirt in. “Look after him, Cole.” He whispered, looking up at the sky. Connor took the opportunity to step forward.

“Sumo… I may not have known you as long as Hank has, but you are the reason Hank and I warmed to each other at the start, so thank you. You and Cole were the most important things in Hank’s life… I fear that, without you… I fear I will not be able to prevent what you both had prevented…”

“Connor-”

“I’m still talking, Hank…” Connor whispered, his voice cracking as he opened his eyes to look at the grave. “I will do my best to do as you both did, to give Hank a reason to live… He will join you when he is ready… I wish I could join you also, when the time comes. It would be nice to meet Cole and to see you again…” Connor trembled as tears started to roll down his cheeks. Matthew stepped forward, his LED flashing red as he watched in concern. Connor continued.

“I wish we could all be together… and it hurts that we can’t…” Connor choked. “I’m sorry, Sumo… Look after Cole, for me and Hank…” Connor threw the dirt into the grave, his eyes fixed on the wooden box in the ground.

Matthew wordlessly nudged his hand against Connor's. Connor took it.

* * *

Later that day, Matthew went home, claiming that Hank and Connor should have some time to themselves to talk about anything that needed to be spoken.

After the burial, Connor had shut himself away in his room. Hank knew, after what Connor had said at Sumo’s grave, that it wasn’t just Sumo’s death that was bothering him, but everything else. He felt that he had to look after Hank himself now, that he had to keep him alive, and he feared that he wouldn’t be able to follow when Hank eventually did die.

_“I doubt there is a Heaven for androids.”_

Hank sighed, picking himself up from the sofa. He was gonna knock some sense into that androids head if it killed him- Perhaps not the best choice of words… Hank crept over to Connor’s room, knocking on the door.

“Connor?” He called, but received no reply. He knocked again. “Son? You okay?” After a beat of silence, Hank gave up and threw the door open.

Connor was gone.

“Connor? Shit!” Hank ran his hands through his hair, his gaze fixed on the now empty bed. “Fucking Androids… Connor?” He turned, looking around for him. He searched every room in the house, calling Connor’s name, the feeling of dread growing with every cry unanswered.

Hank swore as he pulled his phone out his pocket, ready to dial the station, when he finally caught a glimpse of red out the kitchen window, right where Sumo had been buried a few hours before.

Hank pocketed his phone and crept outside into the freezing cold, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as he approached Sumo’s grave. Connor’s form grew more visible as he approached, the LED on his temple blinking red. Hank knelt down.

Connor was seemingly asleep atop Sumo’s burial place, curled in on himself, tear tracks staining his face.

_Fucking Hell, Connor…_

“Connor…?” Hank whispered, shaking the Android’s shoulder. Connor opened his eyes lazily, but made no attempt to look up at Hank. “Hey, Son...” Hank’s voice was soft, unusually so. Connor only blinked in response. Hank sighed, sitting down in front of Connor. “You’ll catch a cold out here, Kid.” He tried, waiting for a quip about how Androids didn’t get colds, but there wasn’t one. “Shit, Connor…”

“I miss him, Hank…” Connor whispered brokenly, his eyes welling as he finally looked up at his father figure.

“I know you do…” Hank offered a sad smile. “Come here…” Connor didn’t have to be asked twice. He pushed himself up and practically threw himself into Hank’s arms, trembling slightly.

“I’m scared, Hank…” Connor confessed. “I cannot be Cole or Sumo-”

“No-one’s asking you to be.” Hank whispered. “You’re Connor, my second Son, you just carry on being Connor, okay? You don’t need to be anyone else.”

“What if being Connor isn’t enough-?”

“Let me stop you right there.” Hank pulled away, holding Connor at arm’s length.

God, the kid was a mess…

“We already talked about this. I ain’t killing myself anytime soon.” Hank forced a smile. “I have to look after you too, this isn’t a one-way thing. We look after each-other. Matthew told me about what happened earlier, he was worried you’d self-destruct. Don’t you dare be doing that to me.”

“I won’t.” Connor sniffed. “I’m sorry, Hank…”

“Stop apologizing and get off of Sumo, he’s tryna rest in peace, goddamn it.” Hank chuckled, helping Connor up. Connor smiled slightly.

“I’m tired…”

“Me too, kid… it’s been an emotional day…” Hank suddenly smirked. “So… you and Matthew?” Connor’s LED flickered pink briefly.

Fucking androids.


End file.
